By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
Staying in the conversation for the state playoffs.
That was the goal for both the Pace Vikings and Donna High Redskins entering Friday’s District 32-5A game at Sams Memorial Stadium.
Thanks to a 20-14 win, the Vikings (3-6, 3-3 district) are still in the postseason hunt with one game remaining in the regular season against the Lopez Lobos.
Pace built a 20-0 advantage midway through the second quarter and held off a determined Donna High comeback in the second half to pull out the victory.
“This feels great and I love my team,” said Javi Garcia, a sophomore outside linebacker for the Vikings who came up with a key sack of the Redskins’ quarterback on third down late in the game at the Pace 31-yard line when Donna High threatened to score its third touchdown. “I work (hard) every day for this team and I love these guys.
“We never gave up and just tried our best,” Garcia added. “Thank God for this great win He gave us today.”
Added teammate Randy Aguilar, a senior QB who passed for 200 yards and the Vikings’ first TD, “It’s great to be in this position (of contending for the playoffs) with one game left against Lopez. We have to get ready for it and do our best.”
In the first quarter, Aguilar threw a 14-yard TD pass to Victor Rodriguez and Pace running back Brandon Zapata ran 3 yards for a score to make it 14-0 coupled with a pair of Pedro Perez extra-point kicks.
Zapata crossed the goal line on a 5-yard run in the second period before the Redskins’ Joshua Mata burst up the middle for 23 yards and Donna High’s first TD with 3:27 left in the half. Pace went into the intermission with a 20-7 lead.
Donna High’s Hector Guerrero bulled his way into the end zone from 2 yards out at the 4:39 mark of the third quarter as the Redskins closed the gap to 20-14.
The Redskins had a first down at the Pace 21 late in the game after a 15-yard pass interference play against the Vikings. But a holding penalty on the Redskins sandwiched between a couple of short gains left Donna High facing a third-and 14 situation from the Pace 24.
From his outside linebacker spot, Garcia crashed in and sacked Guerrero, the Donna High QB, for a 7-yard loss on third down to move the ball back to the 31. On fourth-and 21 from that point, Guerrero threw incomplete into the end zone, ending the Redskins’ drive and pretty much sealing the win for Pace.
In the final minutes, Donna High got the ball back one more time at its 30 but could not do anything. After Donna High ran out of downs, Pace took over at the Redskins’ 14 with 1:23 remaining and ran out the clock for the win.
“Our defense rose to the occasion in the second half,” Pace coach William Deen said. “I’m just so proud of all of our guys. Here we are with a shot at the playoffs.
“To get a win against a program like Donna’s means a lot to us,” Deen added. “Their guys fought hard, too.”
Next week, Donna High (3-6, 2-4) plays host to Brownsville Veterans Memorial on Thursday in its regular-season finale while Pace goes against Lopez next Saturday at Sams in a contest that figures to determine a playoff qualifier.